The Witch

I’m not usually a fan of anything that suggests a paranormal theme, but I very much enjoyed this story! Frieda has a way of pulling me in no matter what….The story alternates between present day and the 1600’s. Normally, there’s one point of view that is less interesting for me than the other. With this book, the events in both time frames were equally entertaining.I started figuring out some of the puzzle pieces along the way, but there were a couple of major twists near the end that I truly did not see coming! The two biggest twists in the whole story really caught me by surprise.***SPOILER ALERT - Stop here if you don’t wanna know!***If I had a pet peeve, it would be that Julia and Henry never find out the truth about who is actually in that painting and what really happened to Caroline, Archibald, and Molly. So, even with the whole Ethel/Celia mystery solved, she is still in the dark about who her real family is. I also wish we could have found out what was on the rest of that recording the ghost dude was playing before “Ethel” threw him out of the house. Also - this one is minor- for the age she seems to be in the book (mid-to-late 30’s, based on the fact that she said she hadn’t been to Pemberton since she was 18 and it was now 20 years later…), she really ought to know who Frank Sinatra and The Rolling Stones are, and definitely should know what mulch is…..and shouldn’t be *that* confused by a landline phone. But again, that’s minor.I liked this significantly more than I expected to. Good read for the Halloween season. Bravo!

McFadden weaves such interesting stories, and this one didn't disappoint. There is something about the way she writes that just feels like a comfortable weekend in front of a fire while it snows outside. Maybe it's how her stories flow effortlessly with a core group of compelling characters who are easy to remember. Maybe it's that unexpected twist at the end that you know to anticipate if you've read a few of her books. I don't know, but this one is a winner. And, I fell for the museum receptionist's deception just as quickly as Julia did.

Freida McFadden did it again!! 👏🏼 I finished The Witch in just TWO days, and let me tell you… THAT ENDING?! 🤯 I was NOT expecting that!!One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the historical aspect! The way the story jumps between different time periods, similar to some of her other books, is something I always enjoy. I love how everything slowly comes together as you read!It had just the right amount of spookiness with a little paranormal twist! 👻 Nothing overly terrifying or extremely scary, so I think it would even be a great read for younger readers who enjoy a little mystery and suspense!🍂🎃 If your book club needs an October read, ADD THIS ONE TO YOUR LIST! It’s the perfect mix of mystery, witchy vibes, suspense, and unexpected twists!And seriously… THE ENDING. Freida got me GOOD with that one! 😳Overall, a solid 4 out of 5 stars from me! ⭐️

A recently discovered my friend is a Freida McFadden fan so we thought it would be fun to read a book together and then discuss it. She mentioned this book and I agreed. When I sat down to read it, I started with the synopsis and I was so disappointed to see it was about a haunted house and a witch burned at the stake. I would NEVER read something with either of those topics but I had already told my friend I’d read it so I couldn’t turn back. The story of the “witch” dragged me in right away. I wasn’t sold on the haunted house stuff, but by the middle of the book, I was completely hooked. And now I think this is probably one of my favorite Freida books!

I loved this one! Not quite a full brain hijack, but definitely a five-star read for me.The story alternates between Caroline, a woman accused of witchcraft in 1692, and Julia, who returns to her family’s old estate centuries later and starts uncovering some very strange family secrets.Caroline’s chapters were easily my favorite. I got so invested in her that I was actually a little disappointed every time we switched back to Julia. Not because Julia’s story was bad, but because I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen to Caroline! And thank goodness Freida didn’t make us struggle through authentic seventeenth-century English.I also loved the humor in this book. Julia’s 85-year-old grandmother offering to murder her ex-boyfriend because a life sentence wouldn’t mean much at her age absolutely cracked me up. And Gideon, the black cat, completely won me over. I have such a soft spot for that little guy.I did figure out a few things before they were revealed, but that didn’t bother me at all. There were still surprises, and honestly, I was much more concerned about the characters than whether Freida could fool me.And that ending! I was SO happy with it. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to spoil a thing, but it gave me exactly the kind of closure I was hoping for.So no, I wasn’t equally hooked by both timelines, and I wasn’t glued to every single page. But I loved the characters, enjoyed the mysteries, laughed quite a bit, and finished the book feeling completely satisfied.An easy five stars from me!